Last week I wrote about the concept of issues that keep me up at night vs. those that don’t bother me quite as much. Today’s Wordless Wednesday photos definitely fall into the first category – this situation kept me awake while I pondered how to address it.
I have two kids in college, and they are both attending a university that is a campus in Querétaro, Mexico of two U.S. universities. It’s a cool concept, and a good way for the kids to be close to home but also to be “away” at school – living in a dorm.
Saturday was Move-In Day, and when we were lugging my daughter’s van-load of necessities into her room, I noticed that the corridor fire doors had been permanently held open. The floor stops had been removed and reinstalled with the doors in the open position – the doors could not even be closed manually without a screwdriver.
These fire doors are crucial as they protect each wing of dorm rooms that are connected by a 3-story atrium. The other issue is that the building codes in Mexico apparently don’t require fire doors on the individual dorm rooms. The International Building Code (IBC) and other model codes used in the US would mandate 20-minute self-closing fire doors on each dorm room, so if a fire occurred within a room the fire door would help to contain it.
I immediately contacted our admissions advisor to get the email addresses for the staff members responsible for the dorms. And while I was thinking about how I was going to convince them – in Spanish – that this was a bad idea, I took a breath and ask my daughter whether the doors were still open. She checked and said that they were now closed. Apparently the floor stop “fix” was only to make things easier on Move-In Day (phew!).
I still don’t like it, but at least I’m relieved that the situation has been resolved (for now). What would you recommend to the college, knowing that installing automatic-closing devices probably won’t fly?
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Has fire sprinklers!!!!
Any smoke detectors in the corridors?
Hopefully smoke alarm in the bedrooms
Are the bedroom doors solid core at least??? As in old time substitute for 20 min door??
Can parents outfit: decorate the room?? If so decorate it with some spring hinges?
Yes on the sprinklers and smoke detectors! The entry doors seem very light and have small hinges…the doors may not be solid core. But the windows do open all the way and the kids are both on the second floor. The school also has strict rules for what is allowed in rooms (no candles, no smoking, no extension cords, no cooking equipment), and they do periodic room inspections.
– Lori
Other countries sure love “traditional” panic exit devices.
You’re right! I see crossbar devices a lot here, although there was a Von Duprin 99 sighting at Costco the other day. 🙂
– Lori
Lori,
With the two universities in my town, I’ll be busy for the next couple of weeks. I schedule one campus in August and the other in September. I have to admit, I have not seen this situation, but I have spotted some things during move-in days that I have told the person who is taking me around, to make sure this is a temporary situation and to have it changed by the end of the day. We know why a situation is happening and they are pretty good about doing so. I have also had them put doors like that on a magnetic hold-open on the Fire Alarm…..and they have!!! It really does come down to a good working relationship with university staff and understanding on both sides.
Thanks for sharing your insight, Kevin! Unfortunately, I doubt that the university here would install magnetic hold-opens without an AHJ saying they had to, but at least they knew to go back at the end of the day and reverse the process. My son moved in a few days later and the doors in his dorm were not held open.
– Lori
No problem…Any time. Good Luck on a successful schoolyear for your kids!!
Lori, Is that a Fire Extinguisher/Standpipe cabinet behind the door? Bad placement if it is. “Unobstructed and Unobscured access to the extinguisher???? That door handle or glass panel won’t last long either if the students at that college are like the students at my two!!! Also, a pinch point for any hose coming out of the cabinet.
I was one of seven locksmiths maintaining Columbia University’s Morningside campus consisting of thirteen million square feet. This included dorm space as well as academic space and administrative spaces. After twenty-six years I retired as the head locksmith at the start of COVID. The locksmith shop was extremely strict on code compliance and worked closely with the University’s compliance officer. The size of the University I believe is what matters or should I say the size of their trade shops. We had a trade shop for every trade completely self-sustained while many other Universities do not and sub out their locksmith and carpentry work as well as fire systems whether they be fire systems wet or fire systems dry. After all of that time spent there, I can definitely say that it is about budgets and not safety. It may be touted as an institution of higher education, but the simple fact is that Universities are businesses, and bottom line is what counts. With your credentials I believe it would be finding the correct person to complain too.
Do they have a compliance officer, or the VP of facilities management or even their own fire Marshall.